Can top with opening means attached



July 4, 1967 F. B. DUDEK 3,329,303

CAN TOP WITH OPENING MEANS ATTACHED Filed April 1, 1965 21 i8 i5 .19 jgJ8 J3 United States Patent 3,329,303 CAN TOP WITH OPENING MEANS ATTACHEDFred B. Dudek, 6723 N. Edgebrook Ave., Chicago, Ill. Filed Apr. 1, 1965,Ser. No. 444,560 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-54) The invention relates to new anduseful improvements in opening cans with the means attached to the can.

This invention relates to a pull-top-type of can in which a key-holeshaped section is lifted out of the top of the can by means of a fingerring that is shaped with two depending shoulders that bear down on thecan top and simultaneously lift a scored key-hole section out of the topof the can.

It is an object of the invention to specially prepare the top of the canand have attached to the top of the can the means to open a hole throughthe top of the can.

Today, all kinds and shapes of containers are used to package foods,oils, liquids, etc. Many of the containers have means attached to themfor use in opening the containers. And many containers for beverages areequipped with means for tearing or opening a hole in the top from whichthe user can pour out his beverage or drink directly from the hole heopened in the top of the container.

This invention has for its object to pull a piece of the top of a canoff the top and leave an edge around the opening provided that will notcut or injure the user, who may pour the contents of the can out into areceptacle or drink directly from the can by placing his lips around theopening in the top of the can. These types of can have become known aspull-top-cans.

The widespread use of .pull-top-cans has increased greatly since thedevelopment of cans not made of steel. Beverage cans particularly havebeen made from cold pressure weldable metals, such as aluminum andcopper. When the top of the can is first scored to outline the size andshape of the pouring opening the pulling of the scored piece of metalout of the can top becomes relatively easy. The metal inside the scorelines can be pulled up or back easily and leave smooth edges around thepouring opening which would not scratch or cut the lips of one who mayelect to drink directly from the can rather than to pour the contents ofthe can into another receptacle.

It is another object of this invention to provide a means for lifting,tearing or pulling the metal within the scored lines on the top of thecan up and out of the top leaving a clean edge around the pouringopening and not a jagged or rough edge. A pull ring large enough topermit the insertion of a finger that can be attached to the top of thecan is a very common means used on beverage cans.

It is a feature of this invention to work the cold pressure weldablemetal of a can top up into two beads that can bent over the straightsection of a pull ring and secure the ring to the can top. I

It is also a feature of this invention to spot weld or solder a piece ofmetal over and around the straight section of a pull ring but securelyto the can top on both sides of the straight section of the pull ring.The soldering or welding of the piece of metal is on the portion of thecan top within the scored lines so that only that portion of the metalcan top is pulled off the can.

These and other objects and features of this invention will be morereadily understood from a detailed description of a pull-top-can asillustrated in the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodimentof this invention and a practical modification.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a pull-top beveragecan.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, sectional view through the top the can along line22 of FIG. 1.

3,329,303 Patented July 4, 1967 "ice FIG. 3 is a plan view of the top ofthe can with the pull ring and the wafer disk for holding the pull ringremoved.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the wafer disk shown in FIG. 2 for fasteningthe pull ring to the can top.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the top of a pull-top beverage can showing apractical modification of the attachment of a pull ring to the scoredsection of a can top for purposes of pulling off the scored section ofthe can top.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, sectional view showing a pull ring between twobeads of metal worked up from metal of can top before the beads are bentover to fasten said pull ring.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, sectional view like FIG. 6 but showing the twoheads of metal bent around the straight section of the pull ring.

The outside of the beverage can is represented by numeral 10 in FIG. 1and the top is 11. The part of the top 11 of the can 10 which is to bepulled off is the irregular shape 12 that has been outlined on the top11 by a scoring process.

The pull ring 13 is shown lying flat on the top of the can and fastenedthereto by a humped-up wafer disk 14. A straight section of the pullring passes under the humped-up portion of the disk 14. Thisconstruction is better-shown in FIG. 2. The wafer disk 14 is shown tackwelded to the top of the can on both sides of the center sectional view15 of pull ring 13. There is a shallow annular flange '16 around thecircumference of disk 14 that sets into a slightly-indented circle 17 inthe can top 11. The flat sections of disk 14 are tack-welded at 18 tothe can top 11 on each side of the central hump 19.

In FIG. 3 the score lines of the irregularly-shaped portion 12 of cantop 11 that is to be pulled off is clearly shown. There are also showntwo dimples 20 in the can top 11 where the shoulders 21 of the .pullring 13 slide so as to locate a fulcrum for the pull ring to liftirregular shape 12 out of the can top 11 along the indicated score linesof portion 12.

In FIG. 4 the top view of the wafer disk shows the humped-up portion 19that overlaps the straight section 15 of the pull ring 13, and the fiatsides 14 of the disk. Where the disk 14 is tack welded to the top 11 ofthe beverage can is illustrated by weld bumps 18 on each side of thehump 19 to ease welding.

A modification of this invention is shown in FIG. 5 which is a plan Viewof another beverage can top 22 made out of cold pressure weldable metalthat has a scored tear-off portion 23. Around the central point of thecan top 22 there are shown three concentric circles 24. By well knownmethods of metal working the metal dis-placed by said scored concentriccircles 24 is worked up into two parallel beads 25 shown in FIG. 6 withthe straight section of pull ring 26 between said beads. These parallelbeads 25 are curled over ring 26 as shown in FIG. 7 to hold the ringfast to the can top 22 but allowing said ring to swivel under saidcurled beads 25. Lifting ring 26 with a finger hold tears portion 23 offof can top 22 exposing a pouring opening the shape of 23.

A special feature of the pull ring of this invention is the formation ofthe ring with a pair of shoulders 21, one on each side of the straightsection 15 of the ring 13 in FIG. 1. When the ring 13 is lifted theshoulders 21 dip down in hollowed-out dimples 20 of FIG. 3. This motioncauses the shoulders to push down into dimples 20 and simultaneouslypush upward on section 19 of the wafer disc 14 in FIG. 2 so as to tearup scored section 12 out of can top 11.

3 ders 27 dip down into dimples 20 shown in FIG. 3 but not shown in FIG.5. This motion causes the shoulders to press down into the dimples andsimultaneously to push upward on curled-over beads 25 in FIG. 7 so as totear up the scored portion 23 from out of the can top 22.

The invention has been described with reference to specific illustrativedevices. However, it should be evident that variations andmodifications, as well as the substitution of equivalent elements forthose shown and described herein for illustration, may be made withoutdeparting from the broader scope and spirit of the invention as setforth in the appended claims.

I claim as invention:

1. A new can top of metal preformed in a circle with a series ofconcentric circles scored around the center point of said circle, akey-hole shaped section also scored on said can top having itseye-section concentric with said center point, and all of said scoredmetal being pressure molded into twoparallel beads that are bent over astraight section of a pull ring to lift off said key-hole 20 shapedsection from said metal can top.

2. A new can top of metal that is preformed in a circle with a series ofconcentric circles scored around the center point of said circle, akey-hole shaped section also scored on said can top having itseye-section concentric with said center point, all of said scored metalbeing pressure '4 molded into two parallel beads, one on each side ofsaid center point, a pull ring having a short, straight section to lieacross said concentric circles, and said parallel beads being wrappedover said straight section of said pull ring.

3. A new metal can top as claimed in claim 2 and said pull ring havingan acutely-curved section on each side of said straight section.

4. A new metal can top as claimed in claim 2 and said pull ring having acircular curved section opposite said straight section and anacutely-curved section on each side of said straight section, whichacutely-curved section of said pull ring bear-s down on said can topwhen said circularcurved section of said pull ring is lifted, thuslifting up said key-hole shaped section of said can top.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,225,957 12/1965 Huth 220-543,250,426 5/ 1966 Fraze 22054 FOREIGN PATENTS 482,838 4/1938 GreatBritain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

G. T. HALL, Assistant Examiner.

1. A NEW CAN TOP OF METAL PREFORMED IN A CIRCLE WITH A SERIES OFCONCENTRIC CIRCLES SCORED AROUND THE CENTER POINT OF SAID CIRCLE, AKEY-HOLE SHAPED SECTION ALSO SCORED ON SAID CAN TOP HAVING ITSEYE-SECTION CONCENTRIC WITH SAID CENTER POINT, AND ALL OF SAID SCOREDMETAL BEING PRESSURE MOLDED INTO TWO PARALLEL BEADS THAT ARE BENT OVER ASTRAIGHT SECTION OF A PULL RING TO LIFT OFF SAID KEY-HOLE SHAPED SECTIONFROM SAID METAL CAN TOP.